He'd rather run than be turned into a cannon fodder for the broken engagement.

In a secluded alley in the west of the city, there was a dilapidated and neglected courtyard. A figure stumbled out, and soon shouts of fighting and killing came from inside.

In the moonlight, the hair of the figure running was blown about, revealing a beautiful woman's face.

"Stop! If you run out, the patrol will catch and interrogate you. You'd better surrender!"

The woman became even more terrified and ran even more desperately forward, as if the burly men chasing her were a raging flood or ferocious beasts.

With a whoosh, a crossbow bolt whizzed past her ear and slammed into the ground with a thud. "Ah!" Her scream was abruptly cut short, replaced by a thud as she fell heavily to the ground.

Then, a sliver of light shone on her face, revealing that she was severely injured. A trace of blood trickled from the corner of her mouth, her face was bruised, her hair was disheveled, and she was in a sorry state. Hearing the approaching footsteps and the menacing voices, she wept in despair.

"This wretched woman is too dishonest. Bring me an arrow and shoot her dead. Otherwise, if word gets out and ruins the master's plans, the consequences will be unimaginable!"

The speaker seemed to be the leader. He took the crossbow bolt, nocked it, aimed at the woman in front of him, and released it. The arrow flew through the air.

The sharp arrowhead spun rapidly, gleaming with a cold, eerie light in the night, its force capable of easily piercing the woman's delicate back.

In a flash, a "ding" was heard as the arrow struck the suddenly appearing black iron sword and was bounced away. The iron sword then "clanged" and firmly embedded itself into the blue stone paving stone a zhang away.

"Who?!"

The thugs who had chased after them shouted in horror.

Their answer came from a figure that blended almost seamlessly into the night, yet remained remarkably clear, standing silently atop the wall, exuding an aura of profound and imposing grandeur.

Fu Xun coldly uttered only one word: "Get lost."

Knowing he was up to no good, the thugs gripped their weapons warily. The leader gritted his teeth. "Does Your Excellency really want to meddle in other people's business?"

Fu Xun remained silent, his body shifting slightly as he landed in front of the woman like a feather, walking step by step toward his sword.

As he took a step forward, the thugs took a step back. After a stalemate, Fu Xun finally touched the Xuan Tie Sword.

As he bent down to draw his sword, the thug leader launched a sneak attack, firing a hidden arrow. In an instant, another "clang" was heard as the arrow was blocked by a black shadow.

"Pah! You sneak attack dog!" A clear voice rang out from the thug's side. Everyone looked closely and realized that another person had appeared out of nowhere!

Leng Huanli, standing on the other side of the wall, recalled his frying pan and pointed it at the thugs with a "whoosh," shouting, "Didn't you hear what my brother said? Get out of here!"

Her image is roughly equivalent to a little fox catching a wild boar.

They don't match!

"..." Fu Xun paused, his hand holding the sword still.

At this moment, the woman finally stood up, still shaken, clutching her injured arm, and hurriedly said, "No, you two can't let them go, it will alert them!"

Leng Huan was startled; it seemed to make sense. Before she could even throw the pot away, Fu Xun had already drawn his sword and started slashing!

With a few swift "whoosh" sounds, he had already dispatched several people with lightning speed, while Leng Huancai had killed two others by smashing them with a frying pan.

-

"Slow down, young lady."

Tsk, Fu Xun is all about killing and no about burying. Leng Huan, feeling sorry for the woman, helped her catch her breath and followed Fu Xun back to the inn.

"Ahem, thank you both for saving my life."

Back in the room, Leng Huan took out some medicine and handed it to her, asking, "What exactly happened? How did you, a mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator, end up in this state?"

Fu Xun stood by, wiping his sword, clearly not wanting to ask any more questions, so Leng Huan had to break the silence himself.

"Cough," the woman coughed, catching her breath before explaining.

"I was kidnapped by chance and only found out today that I was locked in that secluded courtyard, in a dark basement. I only managed to escape now. They were afraid I would reveal my secrets and wanted to kill me to silence me. Fortunately, the two seniors intervened in time."

"You've been kidnapped?" Leng Huan's heart skipped a beat. "Did you see anyone else being held captive?"

"Yes, there are many more than just me. Several people were kidnapped in the past two days while attending the Qi family's wedding banquet in Dongjun City. I am one of them. My name is Luo Yingfei, and I am from the Luo family of Hedong Prefecture."

"Please, both of you, help me send a message to the Zhaixing Chamber of Commerce tomorrow and deliver it to Hedong Prefecture. Cough, I overheard some thieves saying that tonight at Yin Shi (3-5 AM), they're going to send someone through the courtyard tunnel into... into which prefecture? I suspect they've been doing this for a while now, and the person behind it is in Dongjun City!"

"Yes, to be honest, we've encountered a situation similar to Miss Luo's before, back three years ago. There's been a force secretly kidnapping attractive Qi Refining cultivators and selling them as cultivation furnaces!"

Leng Huan poured a glass of water and placed it in front of Luo Yingfei: "The forces behind this are deeply hidden, and there are no clues for the time being."

"Ah, even you two..." Luo Yingfei exclaimed, "That's right, let me think about it carefully, there's a secret passage under that courtyard, isn't that a clue?!"

"That's right!" Leng Huan looked at Fu Xun. If this matter could be resolved, this might be a good opportunity!

Fine, she just wanted revenge. She still remembers that Foundation Establishment cultivator who looked like a manager, who kidnapped them in a single encounter.

Fu Xun's brow twitched slightly. "How many of them are guarding? Could we have already alerted them?"

Luo Yingfei pondered, "Not for now, but they have to hand over the duties tomorrow morning. That's why I had you two kill all those people. Maybe there's still a chance to rescue the rest."

Leng Huan: "But they need to transfer the hostages at Yin Shi (3-5 AM), and it's already Zi Shi (11 PM-1 AM) now." There's only Chou Shi (1-3 AM) left.

She stood up and paced back and forth, thinking it over and over. She didn't want to let this opportunity slip by, otherwise many more people would be harmed. She always felt that there was a vicious beast lurking beneath the deep waters of Dongjun City...

At this moment, Fu Xun asked, "Do you want revenge?"

Leng Huan nodded: "Yes, I want to, especially that Foundation Establishment stage cultivator. I want to fight him every time I see him."

Luo Yingfei's broken arm was already in a sling around her neck. "The Foundation Establishment stage manager is expected to arrive tonight. He wasn't here when I came out. Most of them are desperate thugs in the late Qi Refining stage. It won't be difficult for you two to fight, but the difficult part is how to infiltrate. Once you've entered the thieves' lair, it'll be hard to escape unscathed. Perhaps you two shouldn't take the risk..."

Leng Huan glanced at Luo Yingfei, whose beautiful face was covered in bruises, though her features were pretty. Then he looked at Fu Xun and thought, "Tsk, forget it, he doesn't look like a woman at all."

If all else fails, she'll go herself and try to sneak in first.

Judging from her expression, Fu Xun knew she wouldn't say anything nice. Before he could stop her, she slammed her hand on the table and waved it defiantly:

"Let me, a man, disguise myself as a woman and lower my cultivation level to sneak in. You all can provide support outside and notify Madam Qi for help. We can also ask Qi Ruxing to lend us someone tomorrow!"

"..." Fu Xun hesitated, then continued, "But you..."

Luo Yingfei was confused, but she felt that Leng Huan was truly a man and didn't care about trivial matters!

"This young lady admires this senior."

Leng Huan moved to Fu Xun's side and punched him on the shoulder. "Don't worry, the three major families of Dongjun City are in a three-way balance of power, plus the City Lord's Mansion. Do you think there are many other forces besides these that have the ability to cause trouble under the noses of the major families? Or is it possible that there is something fishy going on among them?"

This was a guess that Leng Huan had been thinking about for a long time. From three years ago to now, the more he thought about it, the stranger it seemed. How could human traffickers be so rampant?

Moreover, she had already asked Qi Ruxing, and it was found that after the announcement was issued three years ago, the number of missing young people had decreased significantly, and Dongjun was peaceful. However, the problem has only recently resurfaced and become even more serious.

— I feel like there's something ghostly about Dongjun City.